Of Laptops,Friends and Proms
by Devilish Mastermind
Summary: Fraphne! They meet online and fall in love..where is this going to lead them? Also there's a good lot of Shelma coming up! : . Summary is dumb, I did hear the story was better though :
1. Their Daily Routine

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scooby-Doo or any other characters, it all belongs to its rightful owners, the only thing that's mine is the story, one I hope you guys like, lol.**

Daphne Blake was bored. Extremely bored, you could say that maths and her didn't get on well and that was since...2 days? Since her nemesis, the only guy who actually _deserved_ being stabbed with the heels of one of her expensive pair of Italian shoes had picked up on her, just another time, telling her she was a sucker at maths while she actually had better marks than him in the particular subject.

- **Hey, Blake heard you can't even figure 1+1?, **he'd thrown at her, his blue eyes piercing through her, full of mischief and a thirst for victory. His "buddies" from the football team all around him, laughed like stupid gawky clowns, their laughter echoing in the hallway of Coolsville high. He'd chosen the wrong time, she'd just found out she'd barely passed in Spanish and he knew it. She stopped to a halt and moved to face him. Her pretty face was red, with anger...no that was too gentle a word, wrath would be more suitable.

**-FOR YOUR INFORMATION ITS SIX!** , she had shouted hotly, at first everyone had turned silent, realisation had struck through her when she had heard the ripples of laughter, and mustering what little was left of her dignity, she had walked down the hallway to attend her English classes. He really did anything he could to be on her black list. Before she met him, she hadn't quite actually had one, but since they'd met he'd filled all the 10 spaces on her list. Fred Jones really did what he could to bring her misery and she did all she could to give it back to him.

And now, the maths class had become hell, with everyone calling her "Simple Six", contrary to what most people thought, Daphne was a brilliant kid, though not in every subject, but usually when she liked something she was top at it. As the sound of the bell rung through her ears, Daphne packed all her stuff and walked as quickly as elegance could afford up to where James, her chauffeur and butler usually waited for her. After a curt nod and a "Good afternoon Miss", the old man held the door of the limousine opened for her and she entered the vehicle.

-**Yo! So wassup dude?** Shouted Daphne to her chauffeur, once in the car, she really liked annoying him by talking like this, especially when she knew the man was strictly attached to an old education. Then she stopped chitchatting with the gray-haired fellow and thought of what she would do once home, her laptop. It was all she could think of, she was a fierce addict of the internet and she was proud to be one,too.

Yeah I know that was sort of short but...You'll get more next chapter... R&R please,constructive criticism or any other thing is welcomed lol =P


	2. His Daring

After the short ride home, Daphne Blake didn't even bother about elegance or anything she'd learnt by watching princess movies. She just ran off as fast as she could through the gigantic Blake mansion to enter her room, her ivory tower she liked to call it, she definitely had watched too many princess movies. Throwing her bag at one side of her room, she grabbed for her laptop and punched on the start button. Before she hadn't been quite that addicted but then before there hadn't been Harry Plotteur aka Adrien, from what he said, he was of French origin, had lived in France for half his life and when he had lost his sister after a tragic car accident, his parents had decided that staying there would cause much more grief than it already had. She'd met him in a chat room, he was 17 and lived in Coolsville, she never asked precisely where because she knew that he'd either tell her or he'd think she was a stalker but he'd still added her on msn, meaning he liked her but she didn't quite know why _she_ liked talking to him ...maybe because he was mysterious...Or because he thought she was blonde? Well she hadn't actually _lied_, a Blake never lied...she just forgot to put strawberry in front of blonde, anyway she wasn't a robot! She couldn't remember EVERYTHING.

"03:14:57 3, 2, 1, 0!" counted Daphne and within the second ''Harry Plotteur had just signed in''. She didn't talk to him first, she never did, that would show she was too interested, princess movies had some advantages too. After a long five minutes:

Frenchie58: Hey princess!

LonelyXPurpleXStar: Yo man! Lol I ain't no princess

Frenchie58: Spare me that, I'm sure you still have some Barbie movies around.

LonelyXPurpleXStar: Prove it. Ha! You can't XP

Frenchie58: I can, I have my invisibility cloak, remember? I can sneak in your room any moment.

LonelyXPurpleXStar: I can beat you with a baseball bat any moment, remember? And that's not in Barbie movies.

Frenchie58: You just gave yourself in princess.

LonelyXPurpleXStar: HUH!

Frenchie58: Just what you saw, how do you know it's not in Barbie movies? Meaning you actually watched them, PRINCESS. Ouch that stung!

LonelyXPurpleXStar: Lol, okay you win.

Frenchie58: I already know my reward.

LonelyXPurpleXStar: Quick one, aren't you?

Frenchie58: You could say.

Sensing that the conversation was taking a whole other meaning, Daphne Blake stiffened on her bed. She hadn't even realised she'd actually come on there.

LonelyXPurpleX Star: Ok, what's your reward, champ?

Frenchie58: Come with me to prom.

Ok I found it...Rather nice of me to let you guys in "shock and suspense" lol and I do hope you like it, its short I know but the shorter, the better...Right? Lol, anyway I apologise for the short chapter.


	3. Unexpectedly

**T**hanks to PurpleDasies, Angel1008, Yelania and Lol for reviewing. I hope you people just read and..enjoy. Well I hope you do anyway. XxXOoOXoxO

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:**Huh?

**LonelyXPurpleXStar**: I mean, it's very nice of you to make such a proposition but you have your prom in your school and I have my prom in my school, there is just no way we could you know go out to prom together I mean. :\

There, the Blake upbringing had some good sides. She'd politely refused his offer, with a very good argument with it and with the good emoticon; everything would go as smooth as baby skin. They'd make as if nothing happened and continue on being friends. The event of actually seeing him and the other way round was terrifying. Well...he thought she was blonde! But this wouldn't happen, Daphne told herself, she'd managed pretty well. She was happy with the way she'd handled things...then why did her heart just feel a tinge sad? Why was there that little inch of regret? No time to think about the way her heart was doing, Adrien was already replying.

**Frenchie58:**You go to Coolsville High, right?

That wasn't quite what Daphne expected...but he'd surrender.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:** Umm...Aye Aye Milord! May I ask why his majesty is asking for such a thing to such a miserable maiden? Lol :P.

The humor card, this should finish him off. Well, actually it did...NOT. Anyway that wasn't even funny.

**Frenchie58**: Because then Princess, it just makes another thing we have in common.

WHAT!WHAT THE..? HE GOES TO COOLSVILLE HIGH! COOLSVILLE! YOU FOOL! WELL ME FOOL! I SHOULD HAVE ASKED HIM...DAMN...I'M STUCK. I might as well...DAPHNE BLAKE DON'T YOU DARE DO THAT. DON'T YOU DARE THINK OF THAT!YOU DON'T KNOW THIS GUY! FOR ALL YOU KNOW HE MIGHT HAVE A MOUSTACHE! FOR ALL YOU KNOW HE MIGHT HAVE A BEARD! THE BEARD MIGHT EVEN BE BRAIDED! Now Daphne's mind was exploding with all kinds of thoughts and she'd voluntarily ask for god to break her brain. Composure, calm, composure, peace, serenity, ying, yang, interior freedom of mind and soul, those were the words Daphne kept repeating to herself for what seemed like centuries.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:**That's cool

**Frenchie58**: Yeah...so how's coming to prom with a guy you never saw and who might attack you sound?

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:** Wait...You're going to attack me!

**Frenchie58**: Just don't wear diamonds and everything will be okay, lol :P but the only thing you'll get attacked by is an enormous bunch of daisies ;]

Awwww! He'd remembered her favorite flowers. How super duper romantic!Now, that's the reason she liked Frenchmen.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:**Lol, yeah play the innocent, prom is in 2 weeks.

"FOOL! Why did you bring that up again for?" Thought Daphne

**Frenchie58**: Yeah and it's supposed to be a "Masked Prom". They're making things _en grand_ this year.

Daphne had completely forgotten about that! Meaning she could actually go to prom with him...She realised that she actually wanted to. Well, she couldn't wear her hair loose, it'd show she wasn't actually blonde...well then she'd wear it in a bun. Problem solved**.**

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:** Youknow I like things how they are now...though I'd like to go to prom with you...I have a condition .The day after the prom, the minute the prom's over, we make as if we don't know each other, because being friends like face to face with you would be...weird, and anyway since it's gonna be a masked prom..You're not gonna see me lol.

**Frenchie58**: Oh, yeah it's very okay with me, to tell the truth I was going to mention that.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:**Can I ask something, Adrien?

**Frenchie58**: Bien sur, Jess

Yeah, he thought her name was Jess...so what? She did have Jessica in her name.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar**: Why'd you ask me?

**Frenchie58**: You're nice, I like you and well I didn't know who to go with. So going with a friend sounded good.

**LonelyXPurpleXStar:**Cool then, by the way, how do I know it's you?

**Frenchie58:**Well...I'll have a bunch of daisies in my right hand.

How sweet!

**LonelyXPurpleXStar**: Well then I'll have a red rose in mine. Sounds like we're spies lol.

-Disconnected-

Hope you people liked this, sorry for the late update but I was grounded and well I had research to make on prom, because in here, we don't have prom. I'm asking myself if this story is good or if it's getting too complicated or anything... Anyway the 4th chapter coming soon.


	4. Their Friendship

"Whaaaaaaat! Disconnected? You can't disconnect me! Connect meeeeee! Please, I love you my laptop, please! Won't you connect for your friend Daphne? COME ON!" shouted Daphne; she couldn't afford to be disconnected now! She clicked on the "connect" button and waited. A slight knock on the door made her rush towards it. It was James. Clearing his throat the old butler stated:

"Miss Blake, I believe Mrs. Blake is looking for you, she is currently in the living room and would be glad if you could be present. Now." The way he emphasized the "now" was quite clear to what would be her fate if she didn't go. So Adrien would have to wait. "Oh and Miss," continued James "Your friend Mr. Norville is-" A clearing of throat coming from behind the old man stopped the butler from saying more. "I was saying, your friend Mr. Shaggy" he rectified "Has come to visit you." Shaggy jumped from behind the grey-haired butler and hugged Daphne, like he always did.

"Hey Daph!"

Chuckling a little, Daphne hugged him back. "Hey Mr. Norville"

Taking a James Bond expression he said:

"For you It's Rogers, Shaggy Rogers and if you keep calling me Norville, its gonna be Mr. Shaggy"

Laughing, Daphne excused herself and went along with James to the living room, leaving Shaggy alone in Daphne's room. Shaggy heard Daphne say that when she got back, she had a surprise for him, Might be some Scooby snacks! Shaggy casually went up to her laptop and clicked on the "connect" button and guessed it had been connecting for long. Less than a minute after having clicked the button, Daphne was signed in. He knew he wasn't intruding in any of her personal things, he knew everything there was to know about her and so did she; he knew her password, so did she. They had been friends since they were 4 and that had not changed even until now. As Daphne's msn signed her in, an instant offline message appeared.

"Hey Princess, I'm sorry I have to go now but see you at prom, hopefully. Tell me what color dress you are wearing so I know which corsage to buy you. Au revoir et bon après-midi for now,

The one who knows you watch Barbie movies ;]"

At the top Shaggy saw the email address of the one who had sent her this message. And wasn't he shocked! He was more shocked by the identity of the person who was to be Daphne's date to prom than the fact that all the asking had been done online, he'd guessed. "Now for a surprise..." he murmured, ruffling his caramel-colored hair with streaks of darker brown. He distanced himself from the laptop, not because he feared Daphne would catch him red-handed, anyway if she did it wouldn't be a great deal, but because he wanted Daphne to give him the surprise even though he already knew. He wanted her to see the surprise on his face, so she'd be able to brag about her being able to surprise him, for once. She was like the little sister he never had, he thought wryly. The fact that they were both an only child to their parents was one of the rare things they had in common. Though at times, because of their very differing personalities they'd had to compromise. For example, when they went to the movie theatre, It was always a scary movie Daphne would want to watch, whereas Shaggy would have been happy by a simple cartoon featuring a black mouse and his fiancée and their duck and dog friends. So they'd always gone for a romantic comedy, in the end. But when Daphne felt mean and really wanted to watch a horror movie, she'd just make him watch "titanic" or "Rainbows and Butterflies" but now they'd discovered they both liked action movies, the torture had stopped. He really did a lot of things with Daphne, thought Shaggy and not a minute had he seen her in any way but in a friendly and even brotherly one, how was that possible?

Daphne was one of the most beautiful girls he knew existed, there was something fresh about her features, about the way her nose would turn red when there was just a little bit of sunshine , or the way he had never seen the littlest imperfection on her face. She was really something, just not physically, she was so head-strong and adamant it was rather irritating at times but well it wasn't a simple little thing like that that would stop Shaggy from being her best friend. He was grateful to her; after all, she was the one who'd helped him when he was at his worst. After a bad breakup with what he thought was the love of his life, he'd let go of himself more than he used to. His hair had grown past his shoulder, his eyes always swollen and his beard was nothing humane.

He sure did have guy friends and they hadn't let go of him, but try as they might, they couldn't understand how it really felt, being rejected like that. Enter Daphne, like a breath of fresh air in the monotony of his life; she used to make him smile with her grimaces and then she'd make him laugh with her silly jokes and then came the total change. After some scissor action, he was a completely new and VERY good-looking someone. She'd helped him now, he smiled he'd return the favor, only a hundred times better... Now he needed some help...what was the name of that new girl...? Something like Velma Dunkley...or was that Dinkley?

Long chapter, ain't that? Yeah I know and Idk where that part about Shaggy being heartbroken and all came from, I mean it wasn't planned. Idk if you people will like it, well if not just review and tell me what's wrong. Chapter 5 in preparation! And thanks Rabs for the support ;] By the way Scooby-Doo doesn't exist...yet, I'm planning on introducing him in some.


	5. Mothers & Daughters

Hey mates, so I felt sort of guilty for letting you guys wait for SO long so here's another chapter, that is, number 5.

When Daphne finally descended the long rows of stairs, she entered her luxuriously glamorous living room decorated with all sorts of souvenirs her mother used to get on her long trips to Paris. "Talk about Paris, isn't that where she's coming from now?" thought Daphne to herself, the reason her mother had called her still remained a mystery, but Daphne guessed that it wouldn't be one for long. A soft clearing of throat brought Daphne back to the present and she focused on whatever her mother was going to say.

"Daphne, the reason that I have-"started Mrs. Blake.

"Called me up here is to lecture me about not using the computer too much." Finished Daphne. Clara Blake eyed her I-have-too-much-guts-for-my-age daughter who was without a doubt going to show off her guts more than ever in the next minutes.

"No" stated Mrs. Blake flatly.

"You are disinheriting me? , I'm adopted?, You are going to sell me into white slavery? Or do you just want to have a mother to daughter talk?" continued Daphne cheekily, her eyes twinkling with malice, but that was it, other than her eyes nothing would have given her in, she had used a serious tone and her face was as severe as an army officer.

"Daphne Jessica Eleanor Blake! Will you let me talk now? And really, since you're an only child to your father and I, we couldn't disinherit you, even if we really want to sometimes. As for being adopted, no person with good eyes would say that, you take after me too much. You are far too ignorant of household chores to become a slave and finally the reason I called you, dearest daughter of mine is to show you...something I have brought for you." Threw Mrs. Blake in her daughter's face, it was good to talk to the youth this way. It made one feel powerful.

"MOM! Don't call me Eleanor! Shaggy's upstairs!" urged Daphne.

"ELEANOR! COME HERE MY DARLING DAUGHTER!" said the mistress of the house in a louder-than-needed tone. Daphne rolled her eyes, despite the lady-like appearance, her mom really acted like a kid sometimes. Daphne could have betted that if her mom was a little bit wilder, she would have smirked evilly. A goofy, laughing sound was heard distantly and Daphne instantly knew it was Shaggy.

"NORVILLE SAMSON ROGERS!" shouted Daphne and the laughing disappeared miraculously.

"So, if you're done fooling around" started Daphne's mother, "Perhaps, you could take a look at...This" and with a grand movement, she moved to the right, revealing what seemed to Daphne, one of the seven wonders of the world.

She was shocked, a little more and she would have drooled. This had to be the most beautiful prom dress ever! It was a strapless purple gown and it looked like it was stuffed with fabrics so it turned out to be puffy and up to the ankle length. It looked soft to the touch and was totally I-am-a-princess style. Daphne really wanted to touch the dress to make sure it was real but she had to do something before. Daphne just threw herself at her mother and both Blakes started shrieking.

"Of course, there are the shoes and the little earrings and a tiny necklace, so it won't look bulky, come on, take it off that oversize doll, it'll look lovely on you." Said Mrs. Blake.

Daphne gathered all her courage to say no, because she wanted to wear it the day of prom itself for the first time and she said she didn't have to bother about the size because she knew it was custom made.

Thanking her mother more than needed, Daphne quickly ran up the stairs to tell Shaggy of whatever had just happened. She felt ecstatic, she had someone to go to prom with, she had a dress, the most wonderful one and life was beautiful.

As she came to her room, she heard Shaggy talking, he was probably on the phone and she could hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Okay Velma, see you on _,_ at _ am, so we can discuss that _ issue, yeah okay, okay, bye and thanks."

Daphne quickly entered her room and with questioning eyes said "Velma huh? Got your eyes on her? Hey Shaggy, wink wink" said Daphne before laughing out loud and telling him everything about the dress but in her precipitation, she forgot to mention her date.

Okay,I know the last bit was...rough lol but well see you next chapter guys! This was such a long chapter! Hope you like it, though its not at all telling the story, you could say it is a mere detail,this chapter, but still, I'm planning on introducing THE big thing in the next chapter. Treason, love, utter shock. That's what awaits you ;] :P.

XX Devilish Mastermind XX So right now Cheers! Love you ALL and thanks to Chelsea for reminding me there was people waiting lol


	6. Crash & Crush

Hey mates! Good news, publishing will be quite regular ( I hope) as...It's the holidays! 2 months and 3 weeks of pure bliss :D anyway, here's...chapter...6! And by the way, a mature xylem is empty that's what I meant in this chapter. Sorry about that, I have been revising biology a lot lol.

Disclaimer: In my dreams I might, but in reality I don't own Scooby-doo and anything attached to it! ( How sad ) :P

The next morning, at Coolsville High.

Shaggy was walking down the corridor when he accidently bumped into a moving pile of books, and fell, causing the person who was courageous enough to own that many books to follow Newton's rule of gravity. Velma couldn't believe it, that was the third time those guys were "accidentally" bumping into her, this time she'd show them she wasn't a little quiet mouse that would accept being bullied this way. Looking at her precious books spilled all over the floor and knowing that she herself was now sprawled over the school's corridor fueled her anger that was now worth being called wrath, sheer and pent up rage ruled her senses as in a quick movement she jerked herself up and once she was in that position, it seemed that she had never talked that much in such little time.

"OKAY NOW! I'VE GOT IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU GUYS MAKING ME FALL ALL THE TIME AND SAYING ITS AN ACCIDENT, WHEN YOU OH SO KNOW IT IS EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING BUT ACCIDENTAL, YOUR MINDS ARE AS EMPTY AS MATURE XYLEM VESSELS, YOU SILLY BAGS OF MANURE!, STUPID STUPID DUMBOS. ALIENATED RETARDED...COWS!" Velma said this last bit as though she was judging whether to add more but now she was on the go and she had enough courage at that particular moment to add in an

"I'm slow" and pronouncing the entire syllables manner:

"Wait, do...you... un-der-stand...what... a... Xy-lem ...ve-ss-el is? How...Silly...of...me, do you even know...what...a...ve-ss-el is?

With a satisfied smile on her face, Velma looked down at the face of her aggressor who was now HER victim. What a nice word, victim. That made her feel really powerful.

All notion of the word power escaped Velma as she realised with horror that her victim was the one she'd quite promised help to yesterday. Having a poker face was never easy; it was a tragedy to have one at times like THOSE. Velma's face turned crimson and the shock she had registered on seeing the face of her...victim was as visible as Mickey's ears on his head.

Shaking his head as he came back to his senses, Shaggy got up and looked at the newcomer. A wide grin on his face he said:

"We do have a way with words now, don't we?"

All Velma could do now was to smile and offer her apologies to that one hot guy. Seeing right through things, Shaggy asked whether she needed help with those bullies.

"No, I don't think so, but thanks for the offer anyway"

"You really sure? I could always help out like scare them you know."

"Yep, super duper sure and since we're here, we could discuss well...just what we were gonna discuss at lunch."

"Oh yeah good idea, but don't you have classes? I have French class but Doneaulieu isn't coming today, some digestive problems I heard."

"We have French classes together so I don't think I'll have classes either." Said Velma with a smile, though... somewhere it did hurt, him not knowing something like that when it actually was a month now since she was at Coolsville High.

"Oh, really I'm sorry I..." started Shaggy

"Oh it's...it's okay" assured Velma.

"So...Let's go to the gym and talk about it then?" offered Shaggy. By the time this conversation was over, all the books had already been picked up and Shaggy, like a perfect gentleman put them in Velma's lock and they both were off to the gym.

There they looked for a quiet place on the bleachers and started tackling the hot topic.

"So yeah, you probably know I'm really close to Daphne and I know you are with Jones too and you probably know that, they are going to prom together because they met up online or something the type." Said Shaggy as soon as they were seated

"Wait, wait, Hold on, you mean that Lonely purple star or something is actually Daphne!"

"Yeah, didn't Jones tell you?"

"Maybe he was keeping it a surprise but I know he has got someone to go with to prom with." Answered an interested Velma

"So...shall we make it something memorable? For them I mean, like spotlight, music and anything you know." Inquired Shaggy.

"Yeah...It would be awesome and I don't think I'll tell Fred I found out, make it a surprise you know." Said Velma, smiling.

Smiling back, Shaggy started discussing the How's and When's of their plan.

When everything was finally settled Shaggy said they'd meet at lunch then.

"Ummm...But haven't we already figured all of it out?" questioned Velma, surprised. An awkward silence followed and both of them were seen either brushing their pants or their skirt.

"Actually...You're fun to talk to and if you're not well busy...I would like to be with you...I mean not be with you like be with you but...Errr... Like just...errrrm...Talk?"

"Oh..Ohhhh...Ow-, Ow-kay." Came the answer and they both laughed at their very weird ways of talking.

"Okay then, catch you at lunch!" threw Shaggy and he didn't know how...or why...he just gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and left as fast as he could, just like a thief would flee off after being seen.

A hand on her now red face, Velma waved at air and said in a rather drowsy, unstable voice: "Ohh yeah...Catch you."

So...Here goes nothing ^^. I hope you guys liked it, it felt really good writing this chapter because I think it's..light lol and just what is up with Shaggy...and Velma? You guys'll know in the next chapter. Btw Chapter 8 is gunna be prom and I wouldn't mind a comment here and there at all :P


	7. Le Calme Avant La Tempête

**_So...I don't think any other author has done it as bad as I have..Because it's been now 4 years since this story was updated (I feel I deserve to get a medal for being a female jerk). I felt really bad at first,giving up on a story. But I thought that with time, people would realise it had been discontinued and wouldn't even look at it twice. But from time to time, I'd get mail saying someone had followed or favorited. And I couldn't understand. Still can't. I'm really only doing this because Kate Smith1666 asked to have the ending and I think maybe some other people might want it too. As I tried to get the plot back in mind, I realised the ending's in a few chapters, which I will be trying to upload as soon as I can. It's been 4 years and obviously, the writing style isn't the same. I accept all criticism on: 1) The story and writing style 2) The "Gave up on the story but suddenly rewriting it" thing._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Scooby Doo universe._**

**_Also, this chapter's mostly a development of Shaggy and Velma's relationship._**

**_ CHAPTER 7 :Le Calme Avant La Tempête_**

At lunch time, Velma entered the cafeteria, butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach. To her own shame, she had actually touched up in the girls' bathroom before getting here, tucking every single brand of wayward brown hair back in place. She began to loathe the nervousness she felt and wished she could just digest the butterflies in her stomach, already. If only they weren't metaphorical butterflies. Sighing, she began nervously searching around for Shaggy. As her brown eyes passed every face that wasn't Shaggy's handsome one, her own insecurities began to take control of her. What if she had actually heard him wrong and he didn't want to have lunch with her? Or maybe was it that he wanted to have lunch with her, but only not today, but rather tomorrow!? Velma felt that she would hit rock bottom and leave the cafeteria in...3...2...1...

As she turned to leave, her face alight with disappointment, a warm voice she could recognise only too well boomed, and she felt a strong arm drape around her shoulders, steering her in the cafeteria once again. "Hey! Going already?" came Shaggy's voice, quite loudly, to Velma's taste. "I never thought you were one to let people down." Joked Shaggy, a kind smile illuminating his face.

All the while, the short bespectacled girl had said nothing, as she had been busy concentrating on two very important things related to the one Shaggy Rogers. Number 1 was that, Yes! Indeed, she was having lunch with him, today, at this very moment. Number 2 was that she had just made an exquisite discovery; Shaggy Rogers smelt heavenly, like spices and everything awesome in the world. In the distance, Velma could almost hear her grandmother cackling and saying in a toothless grin: "This one's a keeper, girl! If I'd been a few years younger..."

Shaking the image from her head, Velma followed Shaggy and after having laden both of their trays with food, Shaggy ushered his companion to a free table. He was about to sit opposite her, when, in a flash, he came by her side to pull her chair.

Velma's cheeks reddened subtly and she felt it was just a bit ridiculous for high schoolers to do this kind of thing, but somehow, somewhere, she could tell that if she let her lips crack into a smile now, she would be smiling till her cheeks hurt. Opposite her, Shaggy was smiling apologetically, telling her that his mum wouldn't let him live life peacefully if she knew he had almost failed to pull a girl's chair. Velma promised not to tell her any day, and so, they both broke into smiles.

A few minutes into their meal, after Shaggy had stuffed his face with French fries, he began talking.

"So...Isn't Rogers gonna be upset that I stole his friend for lunch?" he asked, half-jokingly, half-seriously.

"He had to skip lunch because of the rehearsal for the big football game in a few weeks, actually. I'm pretty sure Daphne's there, too. Because the cheerleaders need to be there as well, I heard." Informed Velma, and as she did so, she unconsciously sat a little stiffly, almost mimicking the composure of a news presenter.

Noticing this change, Shaggy couldn't help but let out a ripple of laughter, before saying, easily, with a smile:" Hey, relax, are all those preparations for prom stressing you out already?"

"Oh...Ah, no, not at all." Said Velma, in a way which she thought was very stupid. "I'm...quite good at planning stuff. That's how I can actually turn in most of Doneaulieu's work."

"Mind you, she does give loads of those. You'd think we had done her wrong in a previous life or something..." replied Shaggy, thinking crossly about the times he'd had to write: "Je suis un mauvais eleve. Je ne rend pas mes devoirs. Je rendrai mes devoirs a temps a l'avenir." , a thousand times or so, as punishment for not turning in one stupid essay or another on the French revolution.

Velma laughed a little at that and Shaggy couldn't help but think the sound was actually adorable. As if enraptured, Shaggy smiled dumbly at her too, eagerly conversing with her.

After shoving a seemingly impossible amount of French fries in his mouth, and thankfully gulping it all down, Shaggy figured they'd better talk about all that prom preparation they were supposed to be doing, as best friends to Fred and Daphne. After all, he really wanted to do all he could for his Daph'.

"So...Who are you going to prom with?" asked Shaggy innocently. "Okay,wait, WHAT!? What happened to doing all you could for your Daph'!? Where did that question even come from? That is NOT prom preparation talk! That's bordering Will-you-go-to-prom-with-me talk!" thought Shaggy, internally scolding himself as soon as the question slipped past his lips.

If Velma had been drinking her coke at that moment, she would have choked and sprayed it all over Shaggy. So at that moment, she was thanking the lord that she'd only touched her food so far. Really, she was deeply thankful for that. But her embarrassment still showed in another way; indeed, her cheeks were as red as roses could be, and while Shaggy was embarrassed that he had made her embarrassed, he just couldn't help a small smile from gracing his lips. She was so cute.

Chestnut-brown eyes looking down, Velma managed to quietly reply that she didn't have anyone to go with yet.

"Eh, well, let me know if you're still free so we can-" started Shaggy, but as soon as he noticed Velma's almost bulging eyes, he quickly tried to reassure her; "Only as friends, though! You...You see, I too, don't have anyone to go with. I...I'd have gone with Daph', but...you know" He said quickly, though he relaxed near the end of his sentence and smiled almost conspiratorially at her.

At that moment, a sort of warmth made its way through Velma's veins. It wasn't the warmth of a blush...It was just like hot, liquid happiness pumping through her veins, making her smile easily, letting her be more comfortable around the boy who sat opposite her. The very same boy who had just nearly done what people would call "Asking someone out". And the someone happened to be _her_. Never and when she said never, she meant never, would she have imagined being nearly asked out by Shaggy Rogers that morning when she had come to school. But there she was.

With a true, warm smile, Velma nodded, showing that she understood what he meant perfectly. And with that, they talked about the prom, and the ameliorations they'd make to it, or how rotten it would have been if they had just let the organising committee do it. Shaggy, being as popular as he was, would easily convince the committee to let him bring some improvements to the prom decorations and what not.

Somehow, all the way through their conversation, the two of them laughed about every little thing, finding hilarious whatever the other had said. Both of them noticed that they were being given weird looks, probably because they were such an odd match, but neither of them seemed to care. To Velma's inward pleasure, Shaggy had absolutely no qualms about being seen with her, even going as far as confirming to a curious girl whom Shaggy knew that Velma was his new friend with whom he'd be hanging out much more in days to come.

As lunch ended, both teenagers exited the cafeteria, their plan for making the prom night an unforgettable moment for their friends already laid down. On other notes, Shaggy thought that going to prom with Velma was something he was looking forward to, and found himself wishing that no one would invite her in the days to come; because he realised he wanted to be the one to buy her a corsage that matched the colour of her dress. _**Boy wasn't he in trouble.**_


	8. Fears

_**I didn't think anyone else would be reading this fic O.o Once again, I do not assure that this story will be good. I'm trying to put in a feeling of verisimilitude in this story, so it can't be progressing as fast as I first planned it to. So,as you can see, Chapter 8 is not prom. There isn't much action going on here, but it's important,I think, to have the characters' impressions so far, so the story makes more sense, and doesn't feel that rushed. Because this story isn't going to be 40k words or something, the action is going to be a bit fast-paced, I think. Though I'm working on this to give more of a slow rhythm to the story. But then it'll be longer. Ahhhhhh. Don't know what to do. Do I keep this short or...? ** _

Chapter 8: Fears

After the day's classes, Shaggy started running towards the exit, hoping that he would be able to catch Daphne before she went home. He needed to talk to her. If he didn't talk to her right now, he would probably explode from all the news he HAD to share with her. But he would have to be careful not to mention just _how _and_ why_ he had gotten close to Velma Dinkley. Or how she made him feel all goofy and...Shaggy-ish all over again. With his previous and very first girlfriend...Shaggy had felt that he wasn't being accepted for who he was, and that his one and true love was only trying to change him and in the end, he had been stripped of his personality entirely. And then, suddenly, there came Velma Dinkley, who didn't even care that he stuffed his face when he ate. Better still, he had actually stuffed his face right in front of her! But she hadn't seemed to mind at all. All in one day of knowing her! How...Just how had the girl done this to him? Was this sorcery? Was she a witch of some sort? How could he break the enchantment!? Questions like these were having pool parties and unstoppable fun in his mind. What actually _was _this...this weird feeling?

He suddenly felt all queasy at the thought, and believed he would actually faint from all the queasiness. But that would be the last straw. Here he was, almost whimpering with impatience, wanting desperately to talk to Daphne about that one girl, who was going to cause him to FAINT from thinking about her, and whom he had known for ONE day only. ONE DAY. He was pathetic. He could have smashed his face into a wall because of how truly desperate he found himself to be. And though he was trying to cool down a little, because it was evident he had overused his brain, the words "ONE DAY" were echoing restlessly in his mind, making him recall the meeting and lunch with Velma, and the way she laughed or...Or the way she blushed. Hehe, she was pretty when she blushed, thought Shaggy, a goofy smile appearing on his face.

Minutes later, as his mind drifted to wedding bells and a strangely very clear image of him waiting at the altar, he decided Velma Dinkley must be a witch or that he must be falling for her. And none of those two conclusions were very rejoicing ones, at least for him. He liked Velma, and didn't want her to be a witch. And he also wasn't ready to fall for someone yet again. But that may have been just what he had done. All in one day. ONE FREAKING DAY. He wasn't getting over this anytime soon. Oh, he wasn't.

Realising that he had somehow slumped down on one bench at the entrance of Coolsville High, Shaggy gave up on the idea of seeing Daphne today. He was too much of a mess at the moment and needed to figure things out a little bit. Or at least wait until that queasy feeling decided it didn't want to inhabit him anymore. And when Norville Rogers had to figure things out, nothing helped more than having big, fat servings of comfort food ready to console his soul. And so, he called home, and in a desperate voice, told his mummy he was hungry.

Velma, on the other hand, was not calling her mummy to make her lots of food. And anyway, Mrs Dinkley's idea of comfort food was philosophy, meditation and maybe some tofu, because she insisted that: "Above the body, the mind must first be fed." Velma wasn't going to refute her mother's theory anytime soon...But tofu really wasn't her cup of tea. And it wasn't like it was such a big deal to Velma. Okay, Shaggy and her had hit it off quite well, and got along nicely. And maybe even in a way she had never gotten along with almost anyone, save for Fred. But, it just wasn't the same thing! Fred was...Fred. And Shaggy was...well, Shaggy. And Fred was only a friend, she thought. A minute passed before she actually understood her own thoughts. What did she mean, "Fred was only a friend"? Wasn't Shaggy also ONLY a friend?

Sighing, Velma thought it may have been time to stop trying to keep up the appearances to herself at least. She might have thought of Shaggy in ways which exceeded the limits of friendship, and she might just be looking forward to going to prom with him- even if as friends only. But she couldn't let things get ahead of herself. She mustn't think that he actually felt the same way about her. After all, he'd done nothing very concrete to show he liked her. They weren't even at a point where they could even consider a relationship at all! They had only just known each other...and she had already developed a Lord-knows-what kind of feeling for him. But, it was just because he was handsome, she reassured herself. She wasn't usually around handsome guys...Unless you count in Fred. But Fred was not her type of guy, so he didn't count. Letting her head fall back on her bed, Velma decided not to think about Shaggy at all. "Concentrate on the prom. The prom" she told herself. After all, there really was a lot to be done in the coming weeks. The organising committee's plans had been quite ordinary, even boring. And they wanted to make that moment a fabulous one for both their friends.

Velma smiled at the thought of Fred, thinking about their friendship, or about how he had been the first one to try to stop people from bullying her. He was actually very kind and nice to her, and even towards a lot of other people. But it was the polar opposite when it came to Daphne. Giggling slightly, she thought that after all, it might be true that boys will actually annoy the girl they like, or it may have just been a facade they used to cover up the fact that they in fact liked each other in _that_ way. What a surprise it would be though, when the whole school found out that the two persons they thought were nemeses, actually quite liked each other, and would make it known by coming to prom together. After all, masked prom or not, teenage girls could do better research than the FBI and would find out that hotshot Fred Jones was actually there with Daphne Blake. It was lucky, she thought, that both Fred and Daphne had such great friends who were not only trying their best to make their prom night an unforgettable experience, but who were also trying to make it a surprise. Really, they were such lucky bums.

The one and only Fred Jones was however not feeling very lucky at the moment. He had yet again caused trouble for, mocked, annoyed and ticked off _his_ LonelyXPurpleXStar also known as _his _Daphne, and he'd done that at the rehearsal by sparking up a wave of "Simple Six" in the gymnasium, when all he had wanted to do was apologise for being the one who caused the nickname to exist in the first place, but as always, he ended up making her hate him, when all he wanted was the exact opposite. With that, he thought that he could hardly call her his, could he? Not when he actually ended up ticking her off every time he tried to approach her. This had gone on ever since he had fallen for her in their first year of high school, when he had seen the way she had been kind to an elderly cleaner who had had trouble finding his way to the administrative office. At that moment, everyone had been laughing at the poor man, and he had been about to help the latter before telling all the others off, when Daphne Blake had swooped in with her fiery hair and had scowled at everyone before helping the cleaner. That kindness of hers had him hooked right there and then. But somehow, he had never been able to tell her about his feelings, and even until now, when he was doing his last year of high school, he had never even been able to say something as simple as : "Hi, how are you?", but rather, it came out as "Hey, ready to fail maths again, Blake?".

And when that had come out of his mouth for the first time, he had been appalled, but seeing as he kept doing it over and over again each time he approached her, he simply went along with the I-hate-Daphne-Blake wave. But he had had enough of it. He wanted to get along with Daphne, and he had nearly given up at one point. But luck had been on his side that day, because Matt, one of his mates from the football team, had gotten Daphne's email address, and had suggested they prank her. Fred had said he would consider the idea and had readily taken the email address, before later announcing that email pranks were far too time-consuming, so they wouldn't be doing that. However, he had started chatting with her online as Adrien, and it wasn't like his email address gave him out in the first place. It was Frenchie58. And well, he _was _French. His mother was, at least. The story about his sister and what not had been invented on the spot, actually. At first, Fred had wanted to be just a random stranger Daphne would come to know, but things had quickly gone out of hand when she had asked just why a Frenchman spoke such good English, and how he even knew all these slang words. And that was how he had had a sister who had died in...was it a car crash or something similar?

Truthfully, he had forgotten by now, but he could afford to, because Daphne and his conversations weren't based on that at all, but rather they had fun talking about lots of things. And he realised, they sometimes even flirted online. Not that he minded. Because he didn't mind. And that little flirt game they had going on, coupled with the fact that they got along so well had been what had pushed him to make a move and ask her out to prom. He would reveal his feelings for her there and then. He would tell her how beautiful she truly was. Not just from the outside, but from the inside as well. And he wouldn't chicken out nor revert to jerk mode at that moment, he would look into her eyes and tell her that he was Fred Jones but that the words of Adrien were his own words, his own thoughts, so that she would know, every time he had said he was certain she was the most beautiful girl ever, he had meant it.

_**Also,is anyone maybe liking the story so far? Because I can't tell if I'm writing rubbish or not-so-rubbish. In any case, next chapter probably coming up tomorrow.**_


	9. Bonds and Bonds

Chapter 9: Bonds and Bonds.

_**Sorry about the slight lateness peeps. But this chapter is the longest I've written so far. I really enjoyed writing that one chapter, so I'm hoping you, in turn, enjoy reading it. And, to the guest who asked, prom is in about one chapter. Not the next chapter, but the chapter after the next chapter Thanks to Minnie for pointing that email address thing out Actually, "Harry P.." is supposed to be his screen name which can be different from the email add, but I figure most people might get the two mixed up, so I changed the name to Frenchie58 to harmonise the whole thing. Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews ^^ Take care y'all.**_

The following day was a Friday and so, one would have thought that Daphne Blake would have been more enthusiastic about the school week coming to an end, but she was not. In fact, she was very grumpy that morning, something which her parents didn't fail to notice and point out at breakfast time.

"It's because of Fred Jones again." complained Daphne.

Looking up from the newspaper he had been reading, Daphne's father peered at her from behind his thick reading glasses, and asked very seriously:

"Did you two have a lovers' fight?"

Immediately, Daphne whined a long "Daaaaaaaaaaadddyyyyyyyyyy".

"What?" asked Mr Blake, turning to look at his wife, as he obviously was not understanding the situation.

Mrs Blake huffed impatiently and turned to look at her husband.

"Darling, they aren't going out yet. They're still only at the fighting and bickering stage."

Mr Blake in turn let out an "Ahhh" of understanding before going back to reading his newspaper, while his daughter could only gape at her parents incredulously.

"Wha-What do you mean "not going out YET" and, and what fighting and bickering stage?" spluttered Daphne badly, who wasn't quite grasping the meaning of her parents' words and reactions.

Mrs Blake only looked menacingly at her husband before adding with a scowl:

"If only you would follow the sequence of events, Nedley dear!"

"What sequence of events!?" cried Daphne, who could not believe what her parents were trying to come to.

Mr Blake only sighed, as if tired and turned to Daphne.

"You see, young Fred Jones and yourself" he begun, patiently "follow a "Benedick and Beatrice" approach to love. Of course, your mother and I followed an approach à la Roméo et Juliette. Without the characteristic romantic and tragic ending, however."

At this, Mrs Blake seemed to have lost all her previous moodiness and sighed contentedly; "Roméo et Juliette, huh? Soul mates..." she whispered in a smile, reaching to hold her husband's hand, who took the proffered hand in his, lips curving into a gentle smile.

"I suppose that you would know all about Beatrice and Benedick, wouldn't you?" asked Mr Blake, his eyes twinkling, as he knew full well that his daughter had asked for various editions of this particular Shakespearean play as well as tickets for the play as birthday gifts over the years.

Daphne merely blushed at her father's statement.

"Therefore, it is only a matter of time until young Mr Jones becomes one of our son-in-laws. Isn't it right, Elizabeth dear?" he asked, chuckling slightly before turning to look endearingly at his wife.

"I find that I quite agree with you, my dear."

And with what, the Blake spouses resumed their breakfasts peacefully, their hands however still locked together. It was maddening how they still looked perfectly elegant while eating with one hand only.

Daphne, on the other hand, was dumbstruck. How could her parents actually think that? Fred Jones and her!? She couldn't even hold one civil conversation with him, and now she was supposed to be falling in love with him!? It didn't matter that he was somewhat handsome; he was an absolute jerk to her! Only yesterday, he had ruined rehearsals for her by bringing back the "Simple Six" nickname again. And he hadn't been the only one to call her that, oh no, he had had the ENTIRE football team chant "Simple Six sucks at calculus." For the whole of 15 minutes until the teacher in charge had been able to shut them all up, after he himself had been done with laughing.

After a few seconds, Daphne cried out that she was never going to even smile at stupid Fred Jones, finished her breakfast indignantly, and hurriedly said goodbye with what seemed like a pout.

"Such a fiery temper." commented Mr Blake as Daphne wheezed by. "Definitely your daughter." He added, looking at this wife.

"What did you say, dear?" asked Mrs Blake menacingly, her beautiful eyes narrowing dangerously at her husband.

"Oh, just that we have a lovely daughter, my lovely Elizabeth." Rectified Mr Blake smoothly, before placing a light kiss on the back of Mrs Blake's hand which was still encased in his.

* * *

"Shaggy" whined Daphne before letting herself fall with a thud in the latter's arms. Daphne had just entered the school building when she had spotted Shaggy in the hallway and had joined him. Chuckling, Shaggy gathered her in his arms for some moments, before swinging an arm lazily around her shoulders, walking her to their classroom.

"What's up?" he asked, finally.

And Daphne went on with yesterday's story about how people now chanted "Simple Six sucks at calculus" because of a brainless idiot known as Fred Jones.

Shaggy laughed a little, but it wasn't all that genuine. Wasn't Fred taking it a bit far to cover the fact that he and Daphne liked each other?

Noticing that Shaggy had gone silent, Daphne thought it might be better to change the topic. And after all, she wouldn't let that brainless git ruin her mood with memories of his annoying actions of yesterday.

"So, um, where were you yesterday afternoon? I thought you'd come home." said Daphne, casually starting the conversation once again.

"Oh I...wasn't feeling great. Tummy ache." lied Shaggy, still unable to talk about anything which had to do with one short brunette.

Sensing that something was definitely wrong, Daphne turned and looked at her best friend with concern.

"Are you okay? Is everything alright Shaggy?" she asked quietly

"Eh, of course! I'm good, I'm good. Don't worry." was Shaggy's hasty reply.

Sighing, Daphne realised that questioning would get her nowhere, and decided that when Shaggy wanted to tell her about what was bothering him, he would tell her. And anyway, there were...things, she had to tell him.

"Oh fine, then." said Daphne "Ummm ... Shaggy? Do you...Do you remember that French guy I was talking to? On msn? You know...Adrien."

Knowing where she was coming to, Shaggy tried not to smile and simply nodded. Finally, she was going to tell him about Fred and her. Well, it couldn't be helped. He _was _her best friend after all.

"Yeah well...I just found out he goes to Coolsville High as well... and... we'regoingtopromtogether." said Daphne, hastening her pace at the end of her sentence.

Understanding what she had said despite the fast pace, Shaggy couldn't help but smile. It was coming, she _was _telling him.

"And...?" he prompted, eagerly waiting for the part about how she and Fred were madly in love with each other but had wanted to hide it.

"And, I'm scared! I don't know what he looks like! Well, not that it matters _what_ he looks like. But, I'm scared about how it's going to go!"

"Haha, there, she's said it." thought Shaggy contentedly to himself. Wait...what? What did she mean, she didn't know what he looked like? How could she forget Fred Jones's face?! However, Shaggy quickly reassured himself. She must be talking about what Fred would wear, and not about Fred himself. Hah, he was so stupid at times.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure Fred knows he's going to have to wear a tux." he said reassuringly.

"What do I care about what Fred Jones is going to wear? He might come naked for all I care... Well, not naked" added Daphne with a blush. "I've got more to worry about than this brainless idiot's outfits! I'm going to prom with someone I talked to online only! Plus, I don't even know who he might be! He only just said that he too, went here, whereas I told him ages ago! Doesn't that mean he's a bit shady?" said Daphne frantically, desperate to make Shaggy understand her own desperation.

"But that's Fred!" said Shaggy in equally frantic fashion to make her understand... what she already knew? Well, girls were complicated, and twice more so when it came to love. He wasn't going to question that.

Daphne stopped and stared at Shaggy, eyes wide open and speechless. Before bursting into loud peals of laughter.

"Aww Shaggy, you always know how to cheer me up." had finally said Daphne to a gobsmacked Shaggy, before dragging him to class because he had stayed rooted to the ground ever since she had begun to laugh and he had realised something was seriously wrong. Very, very wrong indeed. And right now, he needed to talk to Fred Jones.

* * *

Right after he had been done with classes and it was lunch time, Shaggy made some excuse to a worried Daphne and went to look for Fred. He didn't know what Fred had in mind. Did he not know the real identity of the girl he had been chatting with? Or did he? Whatever the answer , Shaggy had to be certain that Daph' wouldn't get hurt by getting involved in any of this going out to prom thing.

Luck had been on Shaggy's side that day, since he spotted Fred Jones's blond head a few minutes after leaving Daphne. Shaggy strode confidently towards the other teenager, anger making its way through his veins. What if this Fred Jones wanted to hurt his Daphne? And anyway, if that was true, then he couldn't understand how...how Velma could be friends with him.

As he nearly caught up with Fred, Shaggy began to regret thinking about Velma. Because the idiom "Speak of the devil, and he doth appear." applied perfectly in that instance. " Not that Velma was anything like a devil." thought Shaggy wryly. Upon seeing Velma's small frame near Fred's, as she was talking and giggling along, something happened within Shaggy. Something clogged the confidence machine so that he had to resort to using the coward machine within him so that he could function and not stay rooted to the spot. Seeing Velma actually had him turn away from doing what he was supposed to do. It was like he couldn't face her at all now, for some very mysterious reason.

As he began to walk away from both Fred and Velma, Shaggy felt the dead weight of guilt hanging inside of him. He was giving up on Daphne; he wasn't doing his duty as a friend and really was being a coward. He couldn't do this to Daphne, not when he had relied on her so much when he had needed her. He wouldn't, he thought, let down a person who had stood up for him as much as Daphne had. He would not be able to. Even if it turned out that Jones had no evil intentions, he would still be glad he had gone and talked to him, despite Velma's very unsettling presence. And so, for the second time of the day, Shaggy ran after the one and only Fred Jones.

When Shaggy caught up with him, he placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder, making Fred stop instantly in the hallway where he and Velma were. Both teenagers turned to look at him. As Velma gazed questioningly at Shaggy, he only smiled and said hi, before quickly turning to face Fred, finding that keeping eye contact with Velma was an extremely difficult task.

"I've got something I need to talk to you about, Jones." said Shaggy, his face serious, almost stern, and his eyes holding almost no remnant of their usual warmth.

Fred responded with equal seriousness and with the same heaviness weighing down his words.

"Okay. Excuse us, Velma?" he said, turning to look inquiringly at his friend who simply nodded her approval and started walking away.

Fred suggested they went somewhere where they could talk without being disturbed, as he sensed that whatever Rogers needed to talk about, he would talk in very serious tones. And so, both boys made their way, in relatively cold silence, outside of the school building, sitting on one of the benches.

"It's about Daphne." said Shaggy strongly, voice unwavering.

Fred had known all along that it was Daphne they would talk about. Call it masculine instinct if you would, but he had been prepared.

"Yes, what about Daphne?"

"Do you know that it's her you've been talking to, all this time, online?"

For a moment, Fred thought about denying the whole thing, about being dishonest yet again about his true feelings. But the way Rogers had come to him, with that seriousness in his voice and eyes, he simply couldn't lie to a guy like that, because Fred realised that he was only looking out for Daphne, and he couldn't lie to a guy who also wanted to protect the girl he loved.

"Yes. I knew it was her ever since the first time I talked to her. I was the one who added her in the first place." he answered truthfully, his gaze steady and honest.

"You...knew?" said Shaggy quietly, waiting for Fred's explanation, because it looked like he had a big one to make.

"Yes. I did it on purpose. Look, it's been years that I've liked her. But this liking thing doesn't work great for me 'cause I _can't_ tell her I like her. And I'm dead serious about her. That's why I did what I did. I intend to tell her everything on Prom night."

Both of them turned silent and stared at the ground for a while, obviously not knowing what to say next.

"You would understand liking someone, wouldn't you?" had asked Fred, then, breaking the silence, a wry smile on his face.

"Ah well, she was-"

"I'm not talking about the one from before. I'm talking about Velma. You blushed when you said hi." informed Fred, getting somewhat amused.

Once this piece of information was revealed, Shaggy could feel his cheeks heating up, and decided he hated his complexion.

Fred was greatly amused by this spectacle and was about to laugh when Shaggy spoke.

"At least I can say hi."

Ouch. Bull's eye. Headshot. Burn.

Fred groaned at this. "I'm working on this, Rogers. You've invited Velma to prom yet? I'm sure you haven't."

"I have, actually."

A groan escaped from Fred again. Why was he the only one having problems like these when it came to love?

"...Only as friends, though."

"Hah! I knew I wasn't the only one!" exclaimed Fred triumphantly, suddenly standing up.

"What're you being all happy for? Celebrating the fact that we both suck at love?"asked Shaggy, feeling defeated. He really did suck at love. You only had to look at what happened to him during his previous relationship.

"Oh." realised Fred, who sadly sat down once again.

"So, we're cool?" asked Fred finally, offering his hand for Shaggy to shake.

"Don't hurt her." said Shaggy, once again serious.

"I won't. Just don't tell her about Adrien being me, will you?" responded Fred.

With a nod, Shaggy shook Fred's hand, sealing their agreement with the contact.

As they walked back to the school building, the atmosphere was friendlier and less tense.

"So, fancy Velma, don't you, Rogers?" asked Fred, in the distance, a tinge of humour in his voice, his arm clamped around Shaggy's shoulder, in mock brotherly fashion, despite the fact that Shaggy was taller than him

"Not as much as you fancy Daphne." responded Shaggy, patting Fred's head in mockery.

"Hey, do I have to call you Rogers all the time?"

"Nah, call me Shaggy, dude."

"It's Fred for ya, Shaggy."

And with this, they entered the school and both went to their own separate ways, and to their own separate best friends. However, both wished they could go the way the other went. Fred, to Daphne and Shaggy to Velma.

_**See you at the next chapter! Also, reviews make one happy. Therefore, spread the happiness xD**_


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